


Penance

by mydeira, Sadbhyl



Series: Responsible Adults (aka, The Menageaverse) [48]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-07
Updated: 2012-06-07
Packaged: 2017-11-07 04:41:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/427003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydeira/pseuds/mydeira, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadbhyl/pseuds/Sadbhyl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Giles catches Dawn in the act.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Penance

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after Father Figure.
> 
> Written by Mydeira, beta'd by Sadbhyl

“Hey, Giles!”

The day’s receipts went flying into the air as Giles very nearly jumped out of his own skin. He turned to glare at a very innocent looking Dawn.

“How many times have I told you not to do that?”

“But it’s so much fun,” she grinned.

“Yes, scaring the living daylights out of me is quite amusing,” he said dryly, wondering how it was this gangly teenager never failed to sneak up on him.

“Well, when you stop being scared, I’ll stop doing it,” she offered. The girl looked around the store, her attention landing on the door to the backroom. “So, is Ethan here yet?”

Dawn had taken to stopping by the Magic Box more and more frequently after school ever since she had happened upon one of Willow and Ethan’s training session. It shouldn’t have surprised him. She was always looking for a way into their world, and only grew more determined the more they tried to shield her from it.

“You know if you do that too long, you’re face will stick like that,” she broke into his thoughts.

He blinked at her.

“You’ve got the Giles’ frown of disapproval firmly in place. And you’d be polishing your glasses right now, if you still wore them that is. By the way, why don’t you wear your glasses anymore?”

“It is quite impossible for your face to ‘stick’ in any one position unless there were some neurological . . .” he trailed off, seeing the glazed look coming over her face. “And the glasses are for reading.”

She nodded to the ledger in front of him. “So you’re not reading?”

“I think you’ve been spending far too much time around Anya, you’re starting to get as exasperating as she is,” he said, gathering the receipts that had scattered when she’d startled him.

“No, if I’d been spending too much time with Anya, I would be asking all sorts of embarrassing questions about your sex life,” she said, hopping to sit on the corner. Then conversationally, “Like who’s on top, you or Ethan? Or is there even a top to be on?”

“Dawn!” This was not happening. Anya aside, at least the others had enough decency to utter “ew” and back off when any aspect of his sex life came up.

“Well, I overheard Xander talking to Anya about it a few months ago. Xander thought it was definitely you, what with all the times you’ve beaten up on Ethan. But Anya thought it depended on the day, though you were probably the one in control most of the time,” she said all of this casually, as if she were discussing clothes with Janice. “They thought I was asleep of course, but . . . let’s just say I didn’t spend all those years pretending I was Harriet the Spy for nothing.”

“This is ridiculous, I am not going to discuss my sex life with a fifteen year old,” he said, slamming the ledger book closed for emphasis.

“Why not?”

“First of all, you’re fifteen years old and shouldn’t be thinking about such things,” he lectured, realizing how pompous he sounded.

She rolled her eyes. “Cuz there aren’t people my age having sex right now.”

“And second and most important, Joyce would kill me if she found out.”

“Mom wouldn’t have to know if you didn’t tell her,” she wheedled.

“Your mother has other ways of finding things out.”

“Like tying you up and torturing you for the truth?” she suggested eagerly.

Dear lord, the girl was positively frightening. “Let me guess, you heard that from Spike?”

“Actually, I overheard Mom and Buffy arguing awhile back.”

Giles felt his stomach drop. He had a feeling he knew which argument that was. But he was curious what the argument was about.

He didn’t have to ask. She continued speaking. “Didn’t hear all that much, what with them upstairs and all, but what I did catch was Mom yelling something about liking it rough and using belts and being tied to the bed.”

A vampire attack would have been welcomed at that moment.

“Giles? Are you okay?” she looked at him with sudden concern.

Aside from the fact that Joyce’s youngest seemed to know quite a bit about her mother’s sex life and how it related to him . . . “Fine. I’m fine, Dawn. Just very uncomfortable with this discussion.”

“I think Mom would prefer I heard about stuff like this from someone like you than at school.”

“I think she would prefer you didn’t hear about it at all,” he said sternly. “Speaking of school, don’t you have homework?”

“Gee, thanks, Dad,” she said sarcastically, jumping to the ground. “I might as well go home for all the fun I’m having here.”

He had forgotten how trying teenagers could be. “I’m sorry, Dawn. It’s just—”

“Yeah, yeah, save it, alright?” With a flip of her hair, she walked away.

It was then he noticed the chain dangling out of her back pocket, Magic Box price tag swinging as she walked.

Oh, she was good. He had to give the girl credit there. Ripper was even impressed.

It wasn’t his place to intervene. He should call Joyce and . . . Actually, it was his place. The Magic Box was his store and Dawn was shoplifting merchandise.

He caught up to her quickly, reaching down with long-ago learned skills and plucked the item from her pocket. She didn’t even notice.

Dawn had her hand on the door when he called to her.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked loudly.

She whipped around, eyes honing in on the pendant now dangling from his fingertips.

“How did you . . .” her eyes were wide with horror, as her right hand felt her pocket.

“I think there’s something more important we need to talk about, don’t you?” he asked almost pleasantly.

He could see Dawn’s mind working, looking for a way out, some halfway believable explanation that would get him to back off.

“How long?” he pressed when she didn’t respond.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said finally.

“I think it matters very much, Dawn.”

“It’s just stuff, Giles. Like you’ve never stolen anything before,” she said accusingly, arms crossed protectively across her chest.

“I stole a great deal in my day. And did a lot worse,” he admitted freely.

“Then what’s the big deal? And no one’s missed the things I’ve taken. No harm, no foul,” she returned.

“So, you wouldn’t have minded being Sweet’s bride for all eternity?”

Her eyes widened. “But I didn’t summon him. That was all Xander!”

“You had the pendant. So he came after you,” Giles said pointedly. “You might not be so lucky the next time. Or you might take something from the wrong person and get caught. It’s a dangerous game.”

“More dangerous than living on the Hellmouth and being chased after by a god?” she laughed. “As far as your wise, fatherly speeches go, this is probably your worst. So unless you’re going to call the cops, I’m going home.”

“What about your mother?”

“What about her, Giles? She’s too wrapped up in her own life and worrying about Buffy, she couldn’t care less.”

“It’s understandable she’s worried about Buffy, she—”

Dawn cut him off. “I am so sick and tired of hearing about Buffy. She got pulled out of heaven and I’m sure that sucks and all, but she’s here now. And she won’t fucking deal with it! No one’s dealing with it. Everyone’s too wrapped up in their own problems to care about anyone else’s.”

He stood there quietly, letting her rage.

“And don’t you dare tell me I’m doing this to get attention, because I’m not.”

“Then why are you doing it?” he interjected quietly.

She stopped and considered for a moment. “Because I can.”

Her words sent a chill down his spine. “What happened to you, Dawn?”

“Nothing happened to me. I steal because I want to. Because I can,” she said again.

“That’s not a reason.”

“Why do I have to have a reason?”

He was getting frustrated; Dawn wasn’t going to give an inch. If he were smart, Giles would send the girl home for Joyce to deal with. But he had a feeling that wouldn’t happen. Too much was going on for Joyce right now that this would easily get pushed to the side. Dawn’s behavior would continue unchecked until something disastrous happened. He hadn’t been there for Willow, but maybe for Dawn . . .

“Are we done yet?”

“You are to be here no later than three o’clock every weekday, and you will remain until six,” he said, seizing upon an idea at last. “You are going to work until your debt with me is cleared.”

“For the stuff I stole? But what if I returned everything?” she asked, her hard veneer finally cracking, though he could see her struggling to hang on to her free time any way she could.

“I fully expect you to return every single item.”

“And work for you?”

“Returning the items won’t make up for the loss of potential sales,” he explained.

“Now who sounds like Anya,” she muttered. “Fine, what do I get out of it?”

“You don’t get a record with the police.”

“That’s it?” she pressed, hiding concern under her flip retort.

“If you return the items and keep to the agreement, I will have no reason to involve your mother.”

This seemed to finally get through to her. “She won’t have to know at all?”

“Not a word.”

She considered this for a moment. “How long are we talking here?”

Of course she wouldn’t simply agree. Not that he expected her to. “Until your debt is cleared. The more you took, the more time you will have to work.” Then a thought occurred to him, “And don’t think I won’t know if everything isn’t returned. You know how detail-oriented Anya is, especially when it comes to money.”

Her eyes grew wide. “You aren’t going to tell her either, are you?”

Giles shrugged. Good to know he had more ammunition if need be.

“Alright, fine.”

“Good.”

“Ok, tomorrow at three then,” she said, turning to leave.

He stopped her. “There’s still two hours until the shop closes tonight.”

“You want me to start today? But what about my homework?”

“You’ll do it when you get home, like you will every night when you finish up here.”

“Giles, when am I—”

“And your grades are to be kept up.”

“Jeez, Giles, I might as well take my chances with the police. At least I’d get to have a life.”

“Dawn.”

She sighed heavily as she descended to the main floor. “What do I do?”

“You can start by dusting the book shelves,” he motioned behind the register. “And I will be watching.”

“It’s what you’re best at,” she said under her breath.

He let it go, not wanting to press the issue further.

With Dawn occupied, Giles turned most of his attention back to the books. She had always seemed so levelheaded; shoplifting was the last thing he had expected from her. But he also wasn’t surprised. Maybe she had started on a dare or by accident, and the thrill caught her. It was probably easy to push away any guilt in light of the discovery that she was different from everyone else. Or had been for a short time.

Back to playing the father figure once again, he sighed. Perhaps this time he could do a better job.  



End file.
